Need a little info please!

[Chris7567]

Good afternoon, My name is chris.
Recently my best friend George (Hyacinth macaw) passed on of natural causes. he was passed on to me from my late grandfather and was estimated to be 70 or older. He was the best friend I could ask for, however that isn't the point.

I have had many of parrots (mainly budgies) on top of him and I do have a lot of experience with such birds.

I want my next bird to be an male lettered aracari, I have found a breeder and have done lots and lots of research. but I still have a few questions hopefully I can get a few awnsered before I get him.

I live in a cold part of the country, what is a safe temp range for them to live in?

How smart are they? I know they are incapable of speech (Yay!) but can they be bathroom trained? And I mean the right way, teach him where he can go, not hold it in.

my macaw used to like to sleep in my bed, are these birds this affectionate?

I have a friend who has a budgie, Will he be friendly towards it? (situational?)

I will be spending lots of time with it, but will I need to get a pair? (time meaning every afternoon)

How often does he empty his food dish, does he eat more than a couple times a day like a parrot or will I need to bring him to work? ( I own a buisness In software development and clients love to see my birds. )

Any info would be very helpful! thank you!

 

[sunnysmom]

Welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear about George. But wow- 70, that's an amazing age for a parrot to make it to.

I'm afraid I know little about the care of aracaris but think they are amazing birds. I'm sure others will soon answer. @Mystics Mom?

 

[Chris7567]

Thank you. He started showing his age when I got him for my 11th birthday I had him for 10 years after and he may have been an old fart but he was a great bird. Most times I couldn't keep him in his cage because he would squack until I let him out so he can hang out with me. No matter what I was doing he wanted to be around, even at work haha. But getting another parrot just isn't an option. I don't want my bird to outlive me and end up in a shelter.

 

[JosienBB]

@waterfaller1 @Kayaker

 

[sunnysmom]

Well, if you would decide you wanted a macaw again, there are so many older birds out there in need of a good home.

 

[Chris7567]

I wish i could find a toucan species bird in need of a shelter... but its rare. I think adopting is always the better option.

 

[MommyBird]

I have heard that they will eat small birds and lizards in their native diet, so I would not let it at any budgies.

 

[Hankmacaw]

George was an elderly gentleman, but Macawnutz (Sarah) has a GW female that's 73. She's still the floor boss of Sarah's flock and is still in pretty good shape.

I would recommend that you try to adopt an older macaw - you can find them out there every now and then.
At your age (very early 20's?) you should not have any worries about a macaw out living you. And like Mommybird, I have read that Aracaris will kill and eat smaller birds as part of their diet.

 

[Chris7567]

The problem with adopting an macaw is that I cant leave a screeching macaw at my home nor my place of buisness, George hardly made any noise cause as long as he as sitting on my neck, he wouldn't make a sound, he was just happy to get some love, and thats wonderful for her, I think my macaw didn't get played with that much by my grandfather, so he was lazy and fat, but very happy.

 

[Chris7567]

Aracari and toucan are beautiful birds that I've wanted for quite some time, but I didn't wanna get one with George around. Especially cause he took up all my free time.

 

[waterfaller1]

I live in a cold part of the country, what is a safe temp range for them to live in?

How smart are they? I know they are incapable of speech (Yay!) but can they be bathroom trained? And I mean the right way, teach him where he can go, not hold it in.

my macaw used to like to sleep in my bed, are these birds this affectionate?

I have a friend who has a budgie, Will he be friendly towards it? (situational?)

I will be spending lots of time with it, but will I need to get a pair? (time meaning every afternoon)

How often does he empty his food dish, does he eat more than a couple times a day like a parrot or will I need to bring him to work? ( I own a buisness In software development and clients love to see my birds. )

Hello, I recommend a green or curl crested over a lettered, but if you are set on it.
They are very smart. On the cunning side I would say. Yes they can be toilet trained. I have Pico about half trained. I praise him when he flies over to the java tree and goes, instead of on my desk. he knows I am not fond of that. So I would say it's about 80% at this point.
Please do not allow your bird to sleep with you. Accidents can happen, there are many sad stories.
But yes, they are affectionate. If not slightly jealous in fact.
Please, no interaction with the small bird. Any parrot or even softbill for that matter. I would not even keep him where he could watch the budgie. It would be stressful for both.
They need fresh fruit a couple times a day, and access to fresh water and softbill pellets.
Are you aware of their feeding requirements and avoidance of foods high in iron? Softbills, particularly aracaris, are prone to hemochromatosis, AKA iron storage disease. So the diet must be kept specific.

 

[Chris7567]

I have done lots of research on their diets and even made a spreadsheet on it, so I know what I'm getting into with that.

And my macaw was big enough to sleep with that I felt comfortable I wouldn't squish him. But this bird is to small to do so.

I'm glad to know they can be toilet trained

And I currently don't have any birds since my macaw passed but it's good to know that he will attack small ones, how about interactions with larger birds?.

And they should be okay where I live? And getting it shipped to me would be safe? (I'm getting him from Jerry in cali)

Thank you, your input is very helpful!

 

[waterfaller1]

The place where they keep birds is climate controlled on a plane.
I would be careful with interaction with any birds. They go for the eyes of larger birds, or grab and twist. They can still grab a bird by the neck and give them a few bonks.
I was able to keep Yuna and Pico in the same room with separate time outs. But I covered both tops so no toes would get bitten, I supervised, and occasionally had to remind him to leave her alone. If given the opportunity he would go for her. I no longer keep them in the same room. It gives him all day out without worry.

 

[Chris7567]

Great!

One more question, how easily tame able are they? I have lots of bird experience but I have never owned an aracari.

Thank you again!

 

[waterfaller1]

I am not sure about Lettered. I would ask Jerry. The two I suggested are very friendly, and easily tamed.

 

[Chris7567]

Well jerry said the ones I would receive are handfed And tame. So maybe?

 

[Calpurnia]

I don't know if you are still looking for any more info but currently I have a male Ivory-billed aracari and can offer my experience.

I live in NY and my house is kept around 68 F. Kevin does fine.

Having now owned both parrots and an aracari I have to say that they aren't as trainable as parrots, or at least they don't catch onto things as quickly. I have been trying to train Kevin to only go to the bathroom on he cage or perch but he isn't super food motivated so it's hard to offer an enticing reward. Right now we're about 50/50.

Aracaris can be super cuddly, but I would disagree with waterfaller about the jealousy thing. Of course every bird is different but Kevin often astounds me with his affectionate/independent personality. He is awesome and can play with toys all day by himself, and is amused for hours just being allowed to explore the room while I'm around. When he wants scratches he will hop into my lap and cuddle for a while, and then just as quickly hop off in search of more fun. He isn't needy or clingy like my parrots can be, where they want to be the center of your attention and will chirp constantly if I am paying attention to Kevin but not them.

My aracari gets along with all of my birds, including my tiny parrotlet, perfectly. In fact, I'm more often scolding my parrotlet, Simon, for nipping at Kevin's toes or bullying him when he gets near his cage. Like I said, every bird is different and has a unique personality. Kevin is extremely chill and there is a chance your aracari will be the same. So whether he is okay around other bird is all up for you to see. I don't know if I would risk an encounter with a smaller species (the size difference between a lettered and a budgie is pretty great) but larger parrots/birds are a possibility.

I feed Kevin once a day, ~3/4 cup of fruit and 1-2 tbsp softball pellets. A larger aracari like a lettered would obviously eat a little more. I have heard a lot of people insist that you need to change their food at least twice a day but I have never had a problem with only serving him once in the morning (and have worked at a zoo that did the same). I do drizzle his food with coconut oil as a supplement and give him a bowl of decaf black tea 3 times a week. Warm tea is his favorite and he takes a bath in it every morning it is offered without fail!

I have harness trained Kevin (I use an X-small Aviator harness). It fits perfectly and it's a great way to get him outside for some sunshine. If you want to take your bird with you to work this probably the way you want to do it (also because you should not clip their wings and a flighted bird outside of the house... no bueno). Just remember that you need to bring along fruit and pellets because aracaris don't eat huge portions all at once, and instead graze throughout the day because their digestive systems work so quickly.

Hope the extra info helps!

 

[staryberry]

Good afternoon, My name is chris.
Recently my best friend George (Hyacinth macaw) passed on of natural causes. he was passed on to me from my late grandfather and was estimated to be 70 or older. He was the best friend I could ask for, however that isn't the point.

I have had many of parrots (mainly budgies) on top of him and I do have a lot of experience with such birds.

I want my next bird to be an male lettered aracari, I have found a breeder and have done lots and lots of research. but I still have a few questions hopefully I can get a few awnsered before I get him.

I live in a cold part of the country, what is a safe temp range for them to live in?

How smart are they? I know they are incapable of speech (Yay!) but can they be bathroom trained? And I mean the right way, teach him where he can go, not hold it in.

my macaw used to like to sleep in my bed, are these birds this affectionate?

I have a friend who has a budgie, Will he be friendly towards it? (situational?)

I will be spending lots of time with it, but will I need to get a pair? (time meaning every afternoon)

How often does he empty his food dish, does he eat more than a couple times a day like a parrot or will I need to bring him to work? ( I own a buisness In software development and clients love to see my birds. )

Any info would be very helpful! thank you!

Hi Chris, I have a green aracari. I know you've gotten some answers to your questions, but I thought I'd add my two cents.

I know that, once acclimated, aracaris can live in pretty cold temperatures. Our breeder left the birds outside even when the night time temperatures dropped to zero.

I've have little to no luck potty training Mindo. He's not very food motivated, so it's harder to train him. He's learned not to poop on us, but the house definitely has suffered.

Mindo is very affectionate. He loves to snuggle under our clothes and nap while we watch TV. They are definitely too small to sleep in a bed, though.

We were told that Aracaris should not be allowed around smaller birds, because they can be territorial and will attack to kill. This may not be everyone's experience, but I would definitely use an abundance of caution.

Mindo does not have a pair. Sometimes I feel bad because I do think he gets lonely during the work day, but he seems pretty well adjusted. I don't think it's a necessity.

Mindo gets fed once a day, in the morning. He will pick at his food over the course of the day. He is a very messy bird, and our walls are sprayed with fruit juice (he has a range of about 4 feet from his cage). I don't know if that will work well in a business environment.

I hope that helps!

 

[staryberry]

I also want to add that aracaris are pretty high energy birds. They wont be happy sitting on a perch in an office for very long. Mindo usually wants to be flying from perch to perch, at least once every few minutes.